From CNN's Kelly Marshall: Hours before the Senate Armed Services Committee passed a measure Thursday that would repeal "don't ask, don't tell," a group of pastors, priests and rabbis gathered in the Capitol to encourage lawmakers to retain the ban on gays in the military.

The group opened the press conference with prayer, asking for God to bless their efforts and to soften the hearts of senators and congressmen to their position.

Is the response from the "non-faith" community always so hostile? I have to wonder why disbelievers even go to a "Belief Blog". My hypothesis is that they go there to try to convert believers to disbelief. I find that an interesting possibility since part of what so many object to is the use of the church sign (and any other means) to try to convert people to become Christians.

Worth noting that this blog is for believers, non-believers and disbelievers alike - and includes coverage of atheists, secular humanists and other non-faith traditions. Covering the world of beliefs has to include those who challenge beliefs and who are agnostic about them.

When Rabbi Jack Moline recently confronted his friend Rahm Emanuel about mounting Jewish anxiety over the Obama administration's Mideast policy, he was surprised at the White House Chief of Staff's response: to invite Moline and more than a dozen other rabbis to the White House for a nearly two-hour conversation.

But what really surprised Moline, who leads a northern Virginia synagogue, was that Emanuel (pictured above in Israel today) invited the whole group back a couple of weeks ago for another long sit-down.

"We invited rabbis who'd been supportive of the president since the election," said Moline, who helped organize the two meetings of rabbis from across the country. "And who found themselves concerned about his approach to the Middle East process."

As the Obama administration steps up efforts to restart the Middle East peace process - with U.S.-moderated talks between Israel and Palestinian leaders starting earlier this month and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu scheduled to visit the White House next week - it has launched a simultaneous campaign to allay fears within the American Jewish community over how that process will work.

Their surroundings are idyllic, their lives contemplative, their needs simple. But don’t assume monks who live in monasteries and dedicate their lives to prayer aren’t feeling pressure in this economy.

The idea of monks making money and being self-sufficient dates back to the 6th century, and across the U.S. you'll find them in the business of coffee, caskets, fruit cakes, honey, bonsai and more. A Georgia monastery once raised ostriches and emus - a venture the abbot calls "a bust."

The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.